Academic Advising

Texas Tech academic advisors serve as university guides for students on their path toward academic progress and graduation. Advisors facilitate student growth and development, guide degree plan implementation, and assist students in navigating the world of higher education. Every major and every department provides academic advisors, either faculty or professional, to work with students during their academic careers. Academic advising is an active process that requires input and investment from the student and the advisor. Students maintain ultimate responsibility for their academic progress; the advisor holds the role of guide, facilitator, mentor.

Academic advising is not simply course selection advising. The goal of academic advising is to provide a means of communication and a consistent point of contact for academic support and progress. To that end, many departments require regular meetings between advisors and students prior to registration for the following term. Students should be aware of the advising requirements from their college and department.

Academic Recovery Process

All students admitted to Texas Tech have the potential to be academically successful. Texas Tech recognizes that many factors can undermine a student’s academic performance. The Office of the Provost provides dedicated academic advisors and the Academic Recovery Process to engage, review, and advise motivated students who, for whatever reason, have found themselves on academic probation or academic suspension.

Through intensive academic advising, students will develop a personalized Academic Recovery Plan that will investigate the causes of past underperformance, anticipate future challenges, identify and implement strategies for addressing these issues, and construct short- and long-term course selections to speed and support recovery.

This generalized Academic Recovery Process is required for Undecided/Exploratory (TTUD) students, Pre-Engineering students, and declared students in some academic colleges, Students who are not in academic good standing should review the policy on academic standing and check with their academic associate dean to determine the best route back to academic success. Students who are denied when applying to return to any specific academic college from academic suspension may be eligible to return to the university as TTUD students after successfully completing an approved Academic Recovery Plan with University Advising.

ADA Testing Accommodations are available to students registered through Student Disability Services. This program provides an optimal test environment for students needing extended test time, reduced distractions and assigned readers or scribes. Testing protocol is based on the student’s approved Letter of Accommodation issued by Student Disability Services.

Additional programs include computer-administered GSP, classroom make-up exams, CLEP and other credit-by-exam options, and proctoring for distance-learning exams. All exams are administered by expert staff in an appropriate proctored test environment.

Students may choose to take the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) rather than the TOEFL. However, IELTS is not administered on the Texas Tech campus. A full list of test centers is available on the IELTS website at www.ielts.org. Information regarding scores accepted at Texas Tech for both the TOEFL and the IELTS can be
found in the Admissions and Graduate School sections of this catalog.

Cross-Cultural Academic Advancement Center

The Cross-Cultural Academic Advancement Center (CCAAC) is committed to promoting cross-cultural awareness and cultivating a culturally competent university environment. The CCAAC works with faculty, campus units, and students to advance a learning environment that contributes to the academic success of all students. The CCAAC is specifically focused on working with faculty, staff and students in designing and supporting meaningful cross-cultural explorations intended to inculcate well informed global understandings and cross-cultural competencies. The CCAAC facilitates significant interactions with diverse peers, participation in well-informed and research-inspired diversity-related coursework, and substantive co-curricular activities that animate students to challenge their cross-cultural understandings. By providing high engagement activities, cultural programming, curricular engagement, and creative scholarship, the CCAAC aims to enrich and strengthen students’ learning and their professional outcomes upon graduation.

Marsha Sharp Center for Student Athletes

The Marsha Sharp Center for Student Athletes is a facility to support the academic success of student athletes at Texas Tech. The 15,500-square-foot facility has a hall of honor to recognize the academic performance of student athletes, two classrooms, two computer labs, tutoring rooms, a study lounge, and administrative offices. In addition to enhancing academic performance of student athletes, the center also serves as the primary facility to administer the J.T. and Margaret Talkington Leadership Academy for student athletes at the university. It is also a meeting facility for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and for other athletic and campus meetings and events.

Office of Community College and Transfer Relations

The Office of Community College and Transfer Relations (CCTR) serves to increase growth, diversity, and success of the transfer student population of the university. CCTR provides pre-transfer academic advising services to prospective students. CCTR advises high school, community college and four-year institution students intending to become Red Raiders. The key is for pre-transfer student to work with CCTR advisors early to make informed educational decisions identifying the courses and appropriate sequencing of coursework needed while at the prior institution to ensure successful applicability of earned transfer college credits toward a TTU degree.

Pre-transfer academic advising includes review of transferrable courses/credits, a degree checklist and discussion of how transferrable credits will apply to a chosen TTU degree, course sequence planning, course recommendations, understanding the role of and making plans for participating in undergraduate research and/or study abroad opportunities, graduation timeline strategies, and campus networking. CCTR works in conjunction with advising services provided by counselors at the students’ prior institution to save on educational costs by promoting a timely graduation.

Students will explore and set educational goals, engage in degree and major decision-making, and research Texas Tech as a good fit transfer institution. Students will become knowledgeable of admission and degree requirements and begin researching potential and optimal career opportunities. CCTR provides guidance in starting various processes for transfer.

Additionally, CCTR serves to advocate, coordinate, facilitate, and maintain initiatives to improve and create partnerships with other institutions of higher education fostering outreach and engagement. CCTR works with the Texas Tech colleges and departments to facilitate partnership agreements between the university and other institutions of higher education, primarily community colleges. CCTR promotes collaborations between faculty to enhance transfer students’ active learning experiences and engagement in undergraduate research, service learning, and study abroad programs. The agreements CCTR facilitates are designed to enrich students’ education and maximize their educational dollars to make the best use of their transfer credits toward a Texas Tech degree.

PEGASUS Program for First Generation College Students

PEGASUS is designed to assist first generation college students as they manage the variety of challenges unique to students without a family background in higher education. These challenges include academic progress, social involvement, and personal growth. As a PEGASUS member, the student will have access to professional staff who work specifically with First Generation College (FGC) students and an upper-class mentor. PEGASUS offers many opportunities for students to get involved with events such as FGC socials, study sessions, and community service opportunities. POWER sessions are offered for achievement in scholarship and unprecedented success in the following areas:

Transitioning to the university environment

Securing financial aid

Improving study skills

Creating appropriate management skills

Overcoming personal struggles

FGC PEGASUS Mentors are successful upper-class FGC students who are available for one-to-one relationships with PEGASUS members. Mentors have navigated the challenges of being an FGC student, and their friendship and experiences provide meaningful help and real-world advice on how FGC students can be successful during their first year of college.

PEGASUS is built around giving back to others. Members are proof of access to higher education for FGC families, foster children, and other historically underrepresented populations. From conducting outreach events to building ongoing relationships, PEGASUS students inspire, inform, and nurture pre-college FGC students to prepare for and enroll in college.

Beyond the PEGASUS activities, workshops, and service opportunities described above, there are two additional opportunities that further encourage the success of Texas Tech FGC students:

FGC students who are unsure about course selection during their freshman year are encouraged to enroll with other FGC students as part of the PEGASUS Freshman Interest Group (FIG).

FGC students who want to live, learn, and grow within a community are encouraged to register for the PEGASUS Learning Community, two residence hall floors designated specifically for entering FGC students. Peers, programming, and additional access to academic advisors will help the transition to a large university environment that offers many opportunities.

FGC advisors, FGC Mentors, and PEGASUS members engage in accomplishing common goals selected to encourage and complement academic efforts.

Programs for Academic Development and Retention (PADR)

PADR courses are college-specific and focus on developing purpose and direction, addressing and overcoming factors that limit academic performance, and effectively utilizing campus resources to build and maintain academic success. Classes meet two to three times per week with an average enrollment of 25-35 students. For more information about the PADR program, visit www.depts.ttu.edu.padr.

Programs for Academic Development and Retention offices are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Contact: 56 Holden Hall, 806.742.3928

Supplemental Instruction (SI)

Supplemental Instruction (SI) targets historically difficult entry-level courses and offers students weekly peer-led review sessions. SI sessions are provided free for all undergraduate students who want to improve their understanding of course material and improve their grades.

Research shows that students who regularly attend SI sessions achieve an average grade level one-half to one full letter grade higher than students who do not attend.

SI sessions are led by professor-recommended students, known as SI Leaders, who have shown excellent competency in the subject area. The SI Leaders attend every lecture and create activities and worksheets for each session based on the material presented in the most recent lecture. SI review sessions offer guaranteed study time and additional support outside of the classroom. Please refer to www.si.soar.ttu.edu for the current schedule of SI sessions.

Texas Success Initiative (TSI)

The Texas Success Initiative (TSI) is a developmental education program mandated by the state of Texas to ensure that students enrolled in Texas public colleges and universities possess the necessary academic skills to succeed. State regulations require that all students enrolling in public higher education institutions demonstrate college readiness in reading, writing, and mathematics by earning passing scores on the TSI Assessment Test or providing proof of exempting ACT, SAT, STAAR, or TAKS test scores; an associate’s or bachelor’s degree from an accredited public institution of higher education; honorable discharge from the U.S. military; or active U.S. military service. More information can be found at www.depts.ttu.edu/registrar/private/tsi.

The TSI Assessment Test is available through Academic Testing Services, 214 West Hall, 806.742.3671. Students will need to present their driver’s license or passport for identification purposes. After testing, students must submit their test scores to the TSI Compliance Office, 103A West Hall.

Students with questions about their status regarding the Texas Success Initiative should contact the TSI Compliance Office at 806.742.3661. Students who have tested but did not meet the minimum scores in one or more sections of the TSI Assessment Test are required to obtain TSI advising through the TSI Developmental Education Office, 78 Holden Hall, 806.742.3242, www.depts.ttu.edu/tsi.

TSI Non-Course-Based Option Courses (NCBO)

Reading and Writing Courses

Mathematics Courses

Refresher TSI Workshop Courses (REF)

Reading and Writing Courses

Mathematics Courses

Tech Transfer Acceleration Program (TTAP)

The Tech Transfer Acceleration Program (TTAP) is a partnership between Texas Tech University and South Plains College (SPC). To qualify for the program, students must have applied and been denied admittance to Texas Tech. After subsequently applying and being accepted into TTAP and South Plains College, each student must co-enroll in a minimum of 12 credit hours at SPC and one credit hour at Texas Tech during each semester.

TTAP students live in the residence halls and attend class on the Texas Tech campus. The goal is for each student to complete a minimum of 12 credit hours and achieve a cumulative 2.5 GPA by the end of the semester to transfer successfully to Texas Tech.

All TTAP students must attend mandatory orientation prior to the first class day, adhere to the program requirements, and maintain at least a 2.5 GPA.

TECHniques Center

The TECHniques Center, a program of Student Disability Services, is a fee-for-service academic enhancement program that is the only one of its kind at a public institution in Texas. The program provides supplemental academic support services to meet the needs and promote the retention of undergraduate students with documented evidence of learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders.

Student participants are undergraduates majoring in degree programs that they have chosen. They are expected to meet the same academic requirements and have the same curricula as other students. Qualified staff members work closely with students enrolled in this program to provide support, assistance, and guidance. Certified tutors provide interactive study skills and content tutoring and are trained to work with each student’s individual learning style.

TTU Discovery! Program for Students Exploring Majors

Choosing a major is a big decision, but the decision does not have to be difficult. Students who are exploring majors have access to academic advisors who are trained to work with them through the Discovery! process. These advisors help students find their direction to an amazing university experience, an on-time graduation, and a future career field that will be fulfilling and rewarding.

The Discovery! process incorporates an expansive list of exploration activities that students can complete on their own with the guidance of academic advisors. Providing students the option to choose their own Discovery! elements creates a truly individualized process geared toward meeting students where they are in their research endeavors. Activities (intended to help students identify their values, interests, skills, and abilities) include interviews, career assessments, real-world research, and other tools through campus partners. In one-on-one meetings with advisors, students identify a personalized Discovery! Action Plan that outlines steps to build upon the knowledge they have gained through initial research and guide further exploration. With valuable experiences that inform their thinking, students are better equipped and more appropriately motivated to be successful in their chosen fields of study. The Discovery! process provides flexible options in a stable environment that foster decision making and the identification of a best-fit major.

University Writing Center/Graduate Student Writing Center

The University Writing Center and the Graduate Student Writing Center assist writers during the various stages of their writing projects without regard to their level of proficiency or their particular college. The University Writing Center serves the entire Texas Tech University community, while the Graduate Student Writing Center serves graduate students and postdoctoral associates.

Both writing centers strive to create supportive environments in which writers and their tutors can work effectively one-to-one either in person or online. In addition, the centers train writing tutors to become knowledgeable, effective readers of and responders to texts from various disciplines. Tutors read and respond to texts at any stage of the writing process and address sentence-level issues as well as global issues involving focus, organization, and development.

The University Writing Center is located in Room 175 of the English/Philosophy Complex and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each weekday. Writers may call the center to make appointments for 30-minute sessions. They also may bring their writing projects as either a hard copy or an electronic copy. To submit texts for online tutoring, writers may access the University Writing Center through the website 24/7 (uwc.ttu.edu).

The Graduate Student Writing Center is located in Room 43 of the Administration building, inside the Graduate Center. It is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m to 12 p.m. Writing consultations are 50 minutes long and are available both onsite and online. Graduate students and postdoctoral associates may make appointments by following the scheduling link on the website (www.depts.ttu.edu/gradschool/gswc.php). In addition to writing consultations, the Graduate Student Writing Center offers writing workshops and graduate student writing groups.